What Is Fasting?Sample

WHAT IS FASTING?

Biblical fasting is a spiritual discipline that Jesus Himself encouraged while He was on earth. (Matthew 6:17-18) It refers to voluntary abstaining from food and drink for a specific period and for spiritual purposes (humbling yourself to seek God’s face.) (Read Isaiah 58.)

Fasting means putting away things you find pleasure in for the sake of God. It means pushing away things that are pleasant for you to seek God's face—for instance, love of tea, coffee, cake, chips, chocolate, etc. It could also include things like social media, TV, etc. Fasting is essentially saying, “This much, oh God, I need you; I thirst for you.”

This is an “I GET TO experience God thing.” It is like going into heaven for a tune-up so we can keep our passion for God and enjoyment of Him at a high level. Figure out what works for you, commit to it, and make it a part of your Christian experience forever. It should be a lifestyle for every Christian. Fasting should go hand in hand with prayer; otherwise, it’ll just be a hunger strike!